Matt Adams goes deep twice to lead Cardinals over Rockies

DENVER -- Lance Lynn had such good stuff he could hardly be hit. Matt Adams was so dialed in at the plate he gave his pitcher all the offensive support he needed.

The perfect combination for a rout and a rare Coors Field shutout.

Lynn allowed three hits in eight innings and Adams provided the spark with two homers and a career-high six RBIs as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the slumping Colorado Rockies 8-0 on Monday night.

Lynn (8-5) struck out seven and walked none before being taken out for the ninth after throwing 108 pitches. It's the first time Colorado has been held scoreless at home since July 2 last year.

"He was in complete control," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said.

Adams' big night included a two-run single in the third, a solo shot in the fifth and a three-run homer in the seventh. This was the third multihomer game of his career.

"It's just a continuation of how I've felt recently," Adams said. "The big thing that I'm happy about is I'm laying off the sliders and the curveballs from the lefties. I'm trying to make them come over the plate a little bit more instead of chasing what they want me to chase."

Jhoulys Chacin (1-6) struggled with his control, allowing five runs in six innings. He also walked three and hit a batter.

"Whenever you walk a lot of guys and you don't make good pitches, especially against a team like St. Louis, you're going to pay for it," Chacin said.

Corey Dickerson had two of the hits for Colorado, which now has dropped seven straight.

This was the second time in five days the Rockies were perplexed by a pitcher, with Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw having thrown a no-hitter this past Wednesday.

Mixing a cutter with a sinker, Lynn bottled up one of the most potent lineups in the majors. He surrendered a one-out single to Dickerson in the first, and then retired 16 straight until Charlie Blackmon and Dickerson had back-to-back singles in the sixth. Lynn got out of the jam by getting Troy Tulowitzki to fly out.

"When you get a good, live fastball like (Lynn) had tonight, you're going to get a lot of guys out," Drew Stubbs said. "He didn't make mistakes."

Randy Choate got the first two outs in the ninth, and Jason Motte struck out Tulowitzki to end the game. Tulowitzki flung his bat in the air in frustration.

Once again, Lynn sparkled at Coors Field. He hasn't allowed a homer at the hitter-friendly park in the 77 batters he has faced spanning three starts.

The right-hander was aided by some fine fielding, too, such as center fielder Jon Jay's sliding grab on the warning track in the seventh on Justin Morneau's deep drive.

"That's a good hitting lineup, especially here, in their ballpark, where the ball travels a little bit more," Lynn said. "But as a pitcher, you can't think about it. You've just got to try to make your pitch.

"I was making good pitches, and when you're doing that, it's a good feeling."

Adams had the first six-RBI performance by a Cardinals player since David Freese on June 7, 2012, at Houston. Matt Holliday added an RBI double against his former team.

For the Rockies, it was another stinging defeat in a month filled with them. They're now 6-15 in June.

"If I had an answer, if any of us did, it would've already happened," Stubbs said. "At some point, it's got to turn around. Hopefully, it's sooner rather than later."

Game notes

Cards manager Mike Matheny said LHP Marco Gonzales will make his major league debut Wednesday. Gonzales grew up in nearby Fort Collins, and his father, Frank Gonzales, is a minor league pitching coach for the Rockies. ... Weiss is hopeful RHP Christian Bergman (bruised left hand) can make his start Wednesday. Bergman was hit by a line drive on his glove hand Friday. "He's made a lot of improvement in the last 24 to 48 hours," Weiss said. ... Tulowitzki was named the captain for the National League for the Home Run Derby at the All-Star Game.

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

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DENVER, CO - JUNE 23: Starting pitcher Jhoulys Chacin #45 of the Colorado Rockies delivers against the St. Louis...